Probiotics are more effective in conjunction with dairy

Probiotics are more effective when used in conjunction with dairy products compared with other foodstuffs or beverages, according to a new study. The study does have some limitations.

A probiotic is a live microorganism that, when consumed by a person over time, is considered to promote health benefits. This is an area of conflicting scientific research, with some arguing probiotics are effective and others arguing that the ingestion of small quantities of so-called "beneficial bacteria" is insufficient to promote alter the natural flora in the gut. Whichever argument wins out, some marketed probiotics are clearly not effective. Any claims for probiotics having an effect for anything outside of the gut should be treated with a dose of scepticism.

The best evidence relating to the use of probiotics is the prevention of antibiotic-associated diarrhoea (AAD), and here there are some studies that suggest a beneficial effect, albeit in some people more than others.

Putting aside the various claims about probiotics, it is understood that the way that the probiotic is taken into the body will influence how much of the live bacteria remains "active" once ingested. Here the type of food or drink appears to be influential.

In a study, University of California at Davis scientists investigated a probiotic strain called Lactobacillus casei BL23 in mice. The mice were rendered with colitis (inflammation of the colon.) It was found that mice who ingested the probiotic in milk had improved symptoms compared to those that were fed milk without the probiotic. Furthermore, the mice who consumed the probiotic in the milk did better when the probiotic was administered with a non-food pill.

The results infer that the food matrix is influential. However, the study only looked at a selective range of vehicles for the probiotic: milk or pill. The results were also conducted in an animal (mouse) and the results do not necessarily mean the same effect will be seen with a person.

The new research has been published in the journal Applied and Environmental Microbiology. The research is titled “Attenuation of colitis by Lactobacillus casei BL23 is dependent on the dairy delivery matrix.”